Massage vibrator



y 26, 1953 i D. B. BROWN 2,639,707

MASSAGE VIBRATOR Filed May 16', 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mu 1 1. g HAL: 7/ 74 I fig. 2.

INVENTOR.

)z mm 0mm f- A 7' TORNE Y5 May 26, 1953 D. B. BROWN 2,539,707

MASSAGE VIBRATOR Filed May 16, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORQ' flay/d5? 5/0/4414 Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT TOF David B. Brown, Bellingham, Wash.; Betsy 0.

Brown, executrix of said David B. Brown, de-

ceased Application May 16, 1952, Serial No. 288,157

This invention relates to massaging devices and more particularly to a motor driven massage vibrator especially useful for massaging the scalp.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved massage vibrator which can be easily held in one hand of an operator and applied to the body of a patient or customer; Which is especially adapted for use by barber's or hairdressers to massage the scalps of customers in barber shops and similar places of business; which is motor driven and has oppositely moving massaging pads so that the device does not tend to be self-propelled; which subjects the body portion to which it is applied to a strong and positive rubbing and vibrating action; which has pivotally mounted massaging pads which are adjustable to the contour of the body part to which they are applied; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to use, and positive and effective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an electric massage vibrator illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front end elevational View of the device illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on the line l--4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a front elevational'view of the device similar to Figure 2 but with the casing enclosing the mechanism of the device removed;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a lever arm constituting an operative component of the device; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 'l- -l of Figure 2.

With continued reference to the drawing, the device comprises an electric motor, generally indicated at It, having a housing ll of elongated, cylindrical shape, a motor shaft l2 projecting coaxially from one end of the housing, a motor controlling switch l3 mounted on the other end of 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-49) mg sleeves and nuts firmly support the bearing bars 25'and 26 in the casing l5 and in fixed pothe housing and an extension cord l4 leading cylindrical shape longitudinally split and provided with spaced apart, longitudinally extending I flanges I1 and i8 at respectively opposite sides of the split or opening therein and a portion |9 extending longitudinally from the end of the motor housing from which the shaft |2 projects and providing spaced apart and substantially parallel side walls 20 and 2| and a partly cylindrical intermediate portion 22 joining'the side walls .at the normally upper side of the device.

The motor housing is received in the clamp portion l6 of the casing I 5 and the clamp is secured around the motor housing by clamp screws 23 and 23 extending through registering apertures in the flanges ll'and l8.

A pair of bearing bars 25 and 26 are disposed between the flat side walls 20 and 2| of the easing in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other and are substantially parallel to and spaced from the motor shaft |2.

Screws 21 and 28 disposed substantially perpendicular to the bars 25 and 26 at the respectively opposite ends of the pair of bars extend through registering apertures in the side walls of the casing and the bars 25 and 26 and nuts 3| and 32 are threaded onto the screws at the sides of the bars 25 and 26 remote from'the spacing sleeves 29 and 36 to hold the ends of the bars firmly against the adjacent ends of the spacing sleeves.

Similar spacing sleeves 33 and 34 surround the screw 26 between the casing side walls 20 and 2| and the bars 25 and 26 and nuts 35 and 36 are threaded onto the screw 23 and bear against the sides of the bars 25 and 26 respectively remote from thespacing sleeves 33 and 34 to hold the corresponding ends of the bars firmly against the spacing sleeves.

The screws 21 and 28 and the associated spacsition relative to the motor I0 and motor shaft [2.

The bars 25 and 26 are each provided with an aperture adjacent the midlength location thereof and these apertures are in alignment with each other transversely of the casing l5. A shaft 38 extends through and is journaled in the apertures in the bearing bars 25and 26 and a worm wheel 40 is mounted on the shaft 38 between the bars 25 and 26. Aworm 4| on the motor shaft l|2 meshes with the worm gear 40 to drive the worm gear and thelshaft 38 and eccentric cams 42 and 43 are mounted on the cam shaft 38 one at each end thereof and at the inner sides of the side walls 2| and 21 respectively of the casing l5. These eccentric cams are disposed substantially one hundredjjand eighty degrees out of phase with each other for a purpose which will presently appear.

U-shaped levers 45 and 46 are disposed at respectively opposite sides of the motor shaft 12 and extend through the casing 15 so that one arm 41 of the lever 45 is disposed between the casing side wall 20 and the bearing bar 25 and.

one arm 48 of the lever 46 is disposed between the casing side wall 2| and the bearing tar "2d. The other arm 49 ofthe lever {85 is disposed at the outer side of thecasing side wall 2ligand the other arm 50 of the lever 46 is disposed at the outer side of the casing side wall 2!, the two arms of each lever being spaced apart and sub* stantially parallel to each other.

Elongated lugs SI and 52 are secured to the bearing bars 25 and 25 respectively and extend substantially perpenldicularif-roin these bars past the motor shaft l2, one at each side of thelatter. Pivot pins 53 and 5,5 are mounted each at one end in the lugs 51 and 52 respectively near the ends of these lugs remote from the bearing bars 2 5 and 26 and project frornthe corresponding lugs outwardly through openings provided in the casing I5. The leyers 45 and 5.6 are pivotally mounted on the pins 53 and 34' respectively for oscillating movement about a common Taxis disposed substantially plane which includes the rotational axis of the shaft 38 and is perpendicular to the rotational axis of the motor shaft i2. A bifurcated cam follower is mounted on the arm 41 of the lever 55 and receives the eccen:= tric cam 42 and a similar bifurcated earn follower 56 is mounted on the lever arm 55 and receives the eccentric cam 63 so that the levers ar ked 1 s ec ve y PQS i ir t about the axes provided by the pivot pins 53 and 55' when the shaftftfs is driven by the motor and rotates the eccentric cams it} and 4.3.

T e aims M n 19 f th era a n iii; are in the form of: flat bar's detachably eon nected to the intermediate portions of the levers by suitable releasable connections, as indie. f at 57 and 5'8, and these arms extend from the intermediate portions of the levers past the side of the worm gear 5"!) remote from the worm At their ends remote from the pivot pi s and ,5-3 the lever arms 49 and 50 are provided with ears, as indicated at 50 and 6f for'th'e' arm 48 and 5'2 and 63 for the arm 53), which ears extend longitudinally of the corresponding lever arms at the outer or distal ends of the" latter and perpendicularly fromjeach arm toward. the opposite arm in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other;

A .U-shaped bracket .65 is disposed between the ears 60 and GI ,on the lever arm'tg and is'pivotally connected to these ears by a pivot pin" 6:3 extending through registering apertures in the cars 60' and 6] and in the bracket legs anda similar U-shaped bracket ii! is disposed between theears c2 and 53 of the lever arm 50' and pivotally connected to these cars by a pivot pin 68 wh'iclieX- tends through registering apertures in the ears and in the bracket legs. Massaging. pads Til and TI formed of a flexible, resilient material, such. as vulcanized rubber. are mounted onthe brackets .65 and. 5'!" respectively and are rockable about axes provided bythe pivot pins a and a h h x a snar d inw dl from thei e re n rdinel ve am s' 49 a d 5.0? and disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal center lines of these lever arms and substantially parallel to the bearing bars 25 and 25 so that the pads can rock toward and away from each other to adjust themselves in accordance with the contour of a body portion to which they are applied.

Each of the pads 70 and H comprises a solid base portion 1 2 of circular shape and a plurality of conical projections or peaks 13 extending from the side of the base portion remote from the associated bracket 65 or 61 in side by side relatl on'sh'ip to each other.

When the device is in operation the two mas- .pads T8; and H are moved forwardly and backwardly longitudinally of the motor I 0 but in respectively opposite directions so that when one of the padsis' moving forwardly the other is moving backwardly or rearwardly relative to the motor. This prevents any tendency for selfpropulsion of the device and the device will move over a body part to which it is applied only as it is moved by the operator holding the device.

The motor m is a fractional horse-power motor of small size and light weight and the mechanism connecting the motor to the massaging pads and the casing enclosing this mechanism are also of small size and light weight-so that the device can be easily held in onehand of the operator while being used to massage the scalp of a customer.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. lhe present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respeets as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. .A massage vibrator comprising an electric motor having a housing of substantially cylindrical shape and a rotatable shaft projecting from one end of said housing. a casing mounted on said motor housing and including spacedapart side walls extending longitudinally from said one end of the housing, bearing bars disposed between said casing side walls and having aligned apertures one in each bar, means supporting said bars on the side walls of said casing'in spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship to each other, a shaft extending through and journaled in the apertures in said bearingiba rs in transverse and spaced relationship to said motor shaft, a worm gear mounted on said shaft be tween said bars, a worm on saidnio'tor shaft meshing with said worm gear to drive the latter, eccentric cams mounted on saidshaft one at each end thereof at the outer sides of said bearing bars and disposed out of phase with each other,

U-shaped levers extending through said casing I to the rotational axis of said shaft, massaging.

pads disposed one adjacent each lever -arm outsi'de of said casing at the ends of said arms remote from said means pivotally mounting said levers on said. bearing bars, and means pivotally connecting said pads to the corresponding level arms for rocking movement about axes disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal center lines of the corresponding lever arms and substantially parallel to said bearing bars.

2. A massage vibrator comprising a motor having an elongated housing constituting a handle for the vibrator and a motor shaft extending longitudinally from one end of said housing, a hollow casing mounted on said one end of said housing and receiving said motor shaft, bearing structures in said casing spaced from respectively opposite sides of said motor shaft, a cam shaft journalled in said bearing structures with its rotational axis spaced from and at right angles to the rotational axis of said motor shaft, levers disposed in said casing one adjacent each of said bearing structures and extending out of a side of said casing spaced from and substantially parallel to the rotational axis of said motor shaft, means pivotally mounting said levers in said casing for rocking movements about a common axis parallel to the rotational axis of said cam shaft and spaced from the side of said cam shaft remote from the side of said casing from which said levers extend, eccentric cams mounted on said cam shaft one adjacent each of said bearing structures substantially 180 degrees out of phase with each other and connected to the corresponding levers to impart to said levers oppositely directed rocking movements in spaced apart planes parallel to each other and to the rotational axis of said motor shaft, massage pads mounted one on each of said levers at the ends of said levers extending out of said casing, and speed reducing means drivingly connecting said motor shaft to said cam shaft.

3. A massage vibrator comprising a motor having an elongated housing constituting a handle for the vibrator and a motor shaft extending 6 longitudinally from one end of said housing, a hollow casing mounted on said one end of said housing and receiving said motor shaft, bearing structures in said casing spaced from respectively opposite sides of said motor shaft, a cam shaft journalled in said bearing structures with its rotational axis spaced from and at right angles to the rotational axis of said motor shaft, levers disposed in said casing one adjacent each of said bearing structures and extending out of a side of said casing spaced from and substantially parallel to the rotational axis of said motor shaft, means pivotally mounting said levers in said casing for rocking movements about a common axis parallel to the rotational axis of said cam shaft and spaced from the side of said cam shaft remote from the side of said casing from which said levers extend, eccentric cams mounted on said cam shaft one adjacent each of said bearing structures and disposed substantially 18.0 degrees out of phase with each other and connected to the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fitzgerald May 13, 1924 Alder Aug. I, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 29, 1913 Number Number 

